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ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
The figures on atmospheric pollution in the Borough of Southall, as obtained from the
lead peroxide gauge at Jubilee Gardens, the lead peroxide gauge at Recreation Ground,
and the deposit gauge at Hortus Cemetery, are not very satisfactory for 1953. It appears
that although there was only one high peak of pollution as recorded at Hortus Cemetery in
March of 1953, the general average of pollution there was considerable, and there was an
increase in the maximum pollution results recorded on both the Jubilee Gardens and the
Recreation Ground gauges. Again these peaks were in March, which appears to have been a
very bad month for atmospheric pollution. One reason for this will have been the fact that
there was an abnormally low rainfall for that month, i.e. 10 mm. of rain for the whole month
as compared with 56 for the corresponding month in the previous year.
It is, however, rather disturbing to note that for all the work that is done in this district,
with regard to atmospheric pollution following on complaints received concerning particular
sites, the net result is on the whole poor.
It is particularly unsatisfactory to have to report this after two years of gradual but
noticeable improvement in the figures, and the reasons for the deterioration must be sought.
The number of complaints concerning individual factories and railway sidings has
increased during the year, and particulars of the observations kept on various sites are to
be found in the table on page 38.
Conditions in the north side of the Borough are recorded by the apparatus in Jubilee
Gardens, and are obviously considerably worse than in the south side of the Borough,
although the latter is more industrialised, but this is probably due to the fact that the
prevailing winds in this area are westerly or south-westerly, and smoke from the more
industrial parts of the town is likely to drift into the north part of the Borough.
It would seem, however, that there is without doubt a good deal of blame to be attached
to private households still, as the mid-summer drop in pollution reported in previous years
is again apparent, though not so marked on the Hortus Cemetery results as in former years.
The weather was extremely cold in March, and it is possible that coal dust was still
being used to bank up fires in households, also a considerable number of persons were
installing all night burning grates, as a result of publicity for these appliances.
The use in these grates of ordinary fuel instead of smokeless fuel is likely to exaggerate
the amount of atmospheric pollution, particularly by night.
The following table gives an analysis of the results as compared with those obtained
in 1952.
Graph C and Graph D demonstrate results pictorially, and Graph E is a representation
of the comparative figures for pollution with oxide of sulphur for Southall, Central London,
a northern industrial town and Godalming, Surrey, which constandy returns the best
figures throughout the year.
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